Jerry Kramer

The contributions of producer and director Jerry Kramer have primarily come in music videos and stand-up comedy TV shows. In 1983, he co-directed the music film "Kilroy Was Here," a short science fiction story featuring the band Styx that accompanied their concept album "Kilroy Was Here." He made his film directorial debut with the 1986 dating comedy "Modern Girls," starring Virginia Madsen and Daphne Zuniga. After directing the documentary "The Making of "Thriller,"" about Michael Jackson's landmark 1983 music video, Kramer became involved, as a producer and director, with Jackson's 1988 video project "Moonwalker." The film, which was to coincide with Jackson's "Bad" album, featured a number of different segments, including different music videos and a biography of Jackson. Kramer co-directed, along with Colin Chilvers, the central portion of the movie, an extended dramatic video for the song "Smooth Criminal," in which Jackson uses supernatural powers to battle a gangster named Mr. Big (Joe Pesci). Although critical reaction to "Moonwalker" as a whole was mixed, it was popular with Jackson fans, and "Smooth Criminal" became one of the pop legend's most iconic videos. In the 1990s, Kramer started producing and directing stand-up comedy shows for television, including "Comic Justice," which featured a young Dave Chappelle, and "Comedy Product," hosted by Janeane Garofalo.